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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to honor Eric "Nailer" Swanson, Patriot | ||||||
4 | Guard Ride Captain, on his volunteer efforts as Ride Captain in | ||||||
5 | Illinois; and
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6 | WHEREAS, The Patriot Guard Riders is a 100% volunteer, | ||||||
7 | federally registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization which | ||||||
8 | ensures dignity and respect at memorial services honoring | ||||||
9 | fallen military heroes, first responders, and honorably | ||||||
10 | discharged veterans; and
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11 | WHEREAS, The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation | ||||||
12 | of riders from across the nation that have one thing in common | ||||||
13 | besides motorcycles - an unwavering respect for those who risk | ||||||
14 | their very lives for America's freedom and security;
its main | ||||||
15 | mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American | ||||||
16 | heroes as invited guests of the family with 2 basic objectives:
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17 | show respect for fallen heroes, their families, and their | ||||||
18 | communities, and shield the family and their friends from | ||||||
19 | interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors; | ||||||
20 | and
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21 | WHEREAS, Eric Swanson was born in Pensacola, Florida, and | ||||||
22 | eventually moved to live with his grandmother in Missouri; he |
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1 | married Liz in 1974, and they have 2 children, Nikolas and | ||||||
2 | Rebecca; he joined the United States Marines and served from | ||||||
3 | 1969 to 1981, including tours
in Vietnam from August 1969 to | ||||||
4 | April 1973; he was awarded the Bronze Star and 4 Purple Hearts, | ||||||
5 | among others medals; he remained active in the reserves from | ||||||
6 | 1974 on; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Eric Swanson joined the Davenport Police | ||||||
8 | Department in 1974 and worked in various departments until
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9 | 1980; he also worked in the insurance industry for several | ||||||
10 | years; he became a Patriot Guard Rider
in December 2005 and | ||||||
11 | accepted Ride Captain responsibilities in February 2006; | ||||||
12 | today, he serves
as a Ride Captain in Illinois, and as a Senior | ||||||
13 | Ride Captain in Iowa; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Eric Swanson leads over 100 missions a year to | ||||||
15 | support veterans, first responders, and their families; for | ||||||
16 | each
mission he notifies those involved, scouts a route, puts
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17 | together the details of the ceremony, and leads the Patriot | ||||||
18 | Guard to its destination; therefore, be it
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19 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
20 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
21 | we honor Eric "Nailer" Swanson, Patriot Guard Ride Captain, on | ||||||
22 | his volunteer efforts as Ride Captain in Illinois; and be it | ||||||
23 | further
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1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
2 | presented to Eric Swanson as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
3 | respect.
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